Serum amylase levels after obstetric and gynecologic operations

The incidence of postoperative hyperamylasemia was evaluated in 131 patients who underwent obstetric and gynecologic procedures. Preoperative and postoperative serum amylase levels were determined in 178 patients who underwent routine surgical procedures. In our sample, we could not document any elevations in serum amylase levels after operations. These findings contradict those of previous reports of a high incidence of postoperative hyperamylasemia after surgical procedures except those performed upon the gastrointestinal tract. Furthermore, in spite of the fact that the female internal genitalia is rich in amylase and that pregnancy is considered a predisposing condition for the development of postoperative pancreatitis, the preoperative and postoperative serum amylase levels were consistently within normal range. We would like to conclude that the manipulation of female internal genitalia, pregnant or not, does not induce hyperamylasemia. Therefore, hyperamylasemia in postoperative gynecologic and obstetric patients should alert the clinician to the possibility of postoperative pancreatitis. We believe that our findings should be confirmed on large samples of patients.